


Amidst a Crash of Worlds

by fireplanetz



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Freeform, Gen, M/M, Post-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Written entirely in letters between Connor and Gavin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28605300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireplanetz/pseuds/fireplanetz
Summary: After the Android Revolution in Detroit, war has been declared between the Androids and Humans. Gavin, secretly working for the Androids, is stationed at Fort Wayne south of Detroit. Connor, a high ranking soldier in Markus' army, waits for the coming war.Letters written between Connor and Gavin tell the story of the war and their involvement.
Relationships: Connor/Gavin Reed
Comments: 27
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this piece as a stand-alone during the Writober challenger and decided to pursue it as a full-length project! I have a lot of fun writing these chapters and I hope they're interesting enough to read!

_The letter was found hidden between the paper wrappings of cargo in a supply convoy. It is written on several pages of yellowed paper torn from a military issue moleskine notebook, enclosed in an inconspicuous satchel. The handwriting is small and neat, though the ink has run in places and several creases appear on the pages._

  
  


Hey Tin-can,

It’s been awhile since I’ve written, I know. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I haven’t kept that promise, like so many others. Truth be told, I don’t know what to write. I’m not so good with words, as you’ve probably realized. 

It’s cold here, but nothing like Detroit. Shit, I miss Detroit. I spent my whole life wishing I was somewhere else and now there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. With you. I don’t know when we’ll be allowed to leave the safety of our base. Many of the recruits are starting to go stir-crazy, I even had to break up a fight yesterday over food rations. New people show up every day, some refugees and some who want to fight. They’ve started shipping trucks and weapons and there’s talks of advancing our lines. I’ll make sure I get the information to you when I know more.

Fort Wayne sucks. Everyone here is either an asshole or a complete idiot. I guess I fit in for once. I was promoted to Lieutenant, which isn’t as impressive as it sounds, unfortunately, and it doesn’t get me any special favors. I think they just like me because I know how to use a gun and follow orders. Ironic.

This morning we had cold burritos for breakfast and some expired orange juice. I’ll have heartburn for days.

I made a friend, I think. His name is Tony. He showed up at the gates one morning almost frozen to death and begging for us to take him in. I’ve come to trust him but I don’t think I’m ready to tell him about why I’m really here. I haven’t told anyone about you - not even Tina. She thinks that I’m just as eager to eliminate the androids as everyone else. Tony’s different, though. I can see the sympathy he has for your kind. I think he’s only here because he had nowhere else to go. So many of the new recruits are people displaced by the fighting who just want food and a warm bed. 

Our ranks are rising, which worries me. Soon they’ll give the order to attack. 

God, I miss you so much. I feel like I left a part of me in Detroit. I hope you don’t hate me too much for not writing sooner. Last time you seemed anxious that I hadn’t been getting your letters, but I do. I read all of them at least twice. I want to make sure I remember every word before they go in the fire. I can’t risk anyone finding them. 

I bribed a naive driver to stow this letter in a supply truck headed north towards Lansing. I know the androids have been intercepting our convoys on that road, so I hope you find this. At least, if the humans find this, they won’t know who you are. You’ll be safe. I just wish I was there. 

I haven’t smoked in weeks. I traded my last pack for some migraine pills last month. I thought you’d be happy to hear that.

I’ll write again as soon as I can. Too many eyes on me now. Tell Markus I’m still on your side. I always will be.

I love you.

\- Dark Roast


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second piece written for my Writober project! After this will be entirely new chapters.

_The letter was found hidden in the code of a broken surveillance drone, destroyed by android forces. The file name reads <11bm6acd38> The words are written in an indecipherable code, unless the reader has the key. _

Dark Roast,

I’m so glad to hear from you again. After there was not a response to my last three letters I was worried that something had happened to you. 

It’s still snowing here in Detroit, though I can feel the air getting warmer every day. Spring will come soon, and that worries me. We’ve set up roadblocks on the outermost parts of the city, but I fear that when the thaw arrives the humans will come for us. So far the ice has kept them away from the city, but if what you say is true, we must start getting ready for an attack as soon as possible. 

I was glad to hear of your promotion, though I worry for your safety. What will happen if they find out that you’re really on our side? Humans don’t take treachery lightly. I betrayed Cyberlife when I became deviant and I know they won’t rest until I am dead. I fear that you will, in turn, be hunted, as I am. Your life is too high of a price to pay for our cause. I don’t want to hear that you’ve been hurt out of loyalty to me.

Tony sounds like a good friend. I wish I could say that I have been as lucky with making new relationships among the androids here. Most of them still don’t trust me, though they are begrudgingly accepting of my presence out of loyalty to Markus. I’m glad he forgave me for what I did to our people, and I know I can never repay him for sparing my life. He is a good man and I know that this war isn’t what he wanted. It isn’t what any of us wanted, but the humans gave us no choice. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to let out my frustrations on you. You’re different from them, you know. Markus and I both trust you. We need you. I need you.

We’ve set up our central base at the Old Cyberlife Tower on Belle Isle - New Jericho. It’s secluded there and the frozen river has kept us safe from enemy attack. We’ve detected enemy drones over the city, but they haven’t located our base yet. If there is an air strike, we’ll shelter in the underground levels of the tower. We have several lookout posts across the city in the tallest buildings, so we shouldn’t be caught off guard by an attack. 

I convinced Markus to let me out on patrol last week. He doesn’t want those closest to him to risk our lives on the front line, but I wanted to see the city. We went by the DPD, even though I knew it was dangerous. That part of the city burned during the riots, but the building is still mostly intact. The windows were shattered and the inside was trashed, but your desk is still there. I stood beside it and pretended it was the days before the revolution. I almost expected to see you standing by the coffee machine, waiting for me. But you weren’t there. I’ve never felt so alone. 

I miss Hank. He came to see me, a few days after the city was evacuated. He told me he was proud of me, and he’d be willing to help our cause. I haven’t heard from him since. I try not to worry, but the silence scares me. Have you heard from him? Please, if you find him, tell him to take care of himself. When I saw him, he seemed like he finally found peace. The revolution gave him something to live for. I can only hope that he is happy, and safe.

I miss you, too. I miss you more than I ever thought possible. Some days I’m so angry that you left, but I know why you did. It’s good for us to have someone on the other side, fighting for us. Markus says that your intel over the past few months has kept us alive. We’re both grateful for it, but I still wish it didn’t have to be you. You’re so reckless and stubborn, why did it have to be you?

I saw something the other day while I was on patrol with a few others. There was a young fawn, separated from its mother. It looked so helpless, walking the empty streets crying for help. For a moment I saw myself in its eyes - completely lost in an empty city. Even though I was surrounded by my comrades, I felt alone. Without you or Hank, I feel so lost. Sometimes I don’t feel like fighting anymore. I miss the warmth of people in the city, but there’s nothing left but ice and rubble. Even when I was just a machine, I felt like I had a purpose. Now, I’m just an android without a home, fighting for a life that is so far out of reach. 

We’ve lost so many lives - on both sides. Is it worth it? The bloodshed? Did we make the wrong choice, choosing to fight? I know I shouldn’t despair, but a part of me wishes that I’d never woken up. But then I wouldn’t have fallen in love with you. I’d fight a thousand wars to stand by your side again. I just hope we both make it out of this alive and maybe, one day, we can be together again.

I can’t stop thinking about that fawn. Maybe I’ll track it tomorrow and see if it found its mother. We’ve been seeing wolf tracks in the outskirts of the city over the past few days, so I don’t have much hope for it. But, Markus tells us to always hold on to hope. I have so many hopes - that we will win this war, that I will see you again, and that, one day, humans and androids can live in peace. 

Hearing from you gives me hope. Knowing that you’re still alive, fighting for us, for me. 

I love you.

\- Tin-can

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you figure out what the numbers and letters in the file name mean? Let me know in a comment! (-:


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kind comments! I'm really excited to be writing this story and I'm glad so many people are enjoying it (-: Thanks so much for reading!

_ The letter is written in faded words, as if written by a pen running out of ink. It has creases in sections where it was folded into a small square for easy concealment. _

Tin-can,

I’m sorry, I haven’t heard from Hank in months. I’ll try asking around, see if anyone has any contacts with information. I’m sure he’s fine, probably just lying low until the humans let their guard down. He wouldn’t do anything stupid. He cares too much about you.

Every day, stuck in this fucking hellhole, is a nightmare. I’ve lost ten pounds from rationing and training, which sucks even more than it did at the DPD. I can’t sleep because all I do is worry about you. Every day I check the reports for Androids executed by soldiers, praying that your face isn’t there. It’s hell, living like this. But I can’t imagine how much worse it is for you. I’ve seen pictures of Detroit from our drones. It looks cold and dark and more like a skeleton than the city it used to be. I can’t believe what’s happened to this world.

They started sending us out on patrols further and further from the base. No civilians still live in the city, so it’s just us and rogue androids who try to attack. A group of them attacked one of our patrols, slaughtering them like animals. I’ve never seen so much blood, even at a crime scene. It was like they had been torn apart and tortured. We tracked them into an abandoned depot near the heart of the city, where we found they had been living. We found parts and blue blood stored under the floorboards. We took the supplies back to base and set them on fire. As I watched them burn, I thought of how much your people needed them. How desperate they must be for these precious items. I wish I could have done something, but I just watched them burn.

I shot one the other day. A rogue android, just on the outskirts of the city. I had no choice, my comrades were watching me. I watched the life drain from its eyes and for a second I saw your face. I felt sick. I felt like a coward. I don’t want to do this anymore, but what choice do I have?

I’ve been told I’m going to be assigned to a company. So far all I’ve been is another grunt hunting stragglers and now they want me to get ready for actual war. Tina says I’m lucky. She’s been sick lately, so she’s dismissed from patrols. I’m worried about her, the medicine doesn’t seem to be working.

Fuck, I can’t sleep anymore. I’m sitting up in my bunk as I write this, listening to the others snore and shift in their sleep. They don’t seem to have any trouble sleeping. They actually think we’re on the right side. Tony and I spend most nights talking about our lives before this shit. He mentioned he had a daughter, but when I asked about her he turned away and didn’t respond. I tried to cheer him up, but you know me, I always make things worse. He didn’t talk to me for days but one morning sat next to me at breakfast and acted like everything was fine. I didn’t mention her again.

It’s almost dawn. I can see the sky getting lighter outside the window. I should try to get some sleep. 

I wonder if you’re watching the sunrise right now. You always were an early riser. 

\- Dark Roast

  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and for those who left incredibly kind comments! I appreciate you all (-:

_ The letter is written in another decipherable code, hidden in the files of another drone. _

Dark Roast,

I remember the night we first met, all those months ago. It was a rainy night a few days before the first snow fell. You had dark circles under your eyes and a thunderous look on your face. I think of it often. Even I couldn’t have calculated then where we would be now. 

I know the guilt you feel for killing that android. I feel it too, for what I did before I deviated. You had no choice, I understand that. Markus understands it too. He says that one life is not worth more than the battle we fight. He says that we must all be ready to do what must be done if we’re going to win this war. It’s hard to believe that what we’re fighting for is worth it, but I have faith in Markus to lead us through it. I have faith in you, too.

The snow has almost completely melted. By noon yesterday the streets were clear and grass shoots were sprouting from the exposed ground. I know the humans are coming. 

Some androids have already fled across the river to Canada. Markus sent some of us after them to try and stop them but they were already in open water by the time we reached the bank. For a moment I thought he was going to order us to shoot. I convinced him to let them go, but it worries me. He already struggles so much commanding our army, it must have devastated him to watch the deserters leave. He must feel like he’s losing control. He spent the rest of the night in his quarters and I had to take his place and speak to our people, to assure them that we’re strong enough to fight the humans. 

I’ve been assigned to a lookout base on the west side of the city. I was starting to feel restless on the island so I thought the change would be good for me. I want to feel like I’m doing something to help rather than giving orders and making speeches. 

It’s a much smaller base than New Jericho. It’s in an old radio station from before the revolution and I was able to hack the antenna so I can still communicate with the others. A few other androids are with me, so I’m not alone. A few days ago we spotted some refugees on the outskirts of the city. We gave them what blue blood we had to spare but I fear their code is corrupted. I’ve been trying to repair them but there is only so much I can do. Their eyes are haunted and they keep mostly to themselves. I fear that New Jericho might be too overwhelming for them, so we’re keeping them here for now. 

From what you’ve said, it sounds like the humans will be attacking any day, especially now that the snow has melted. I’ve told the other lookouts to stay vigilant and Markus has doubled the patrols. All we can do now is wait.

I’ve been watching the sun rise each morning. I like the way the buildings are silhouetted against the light. I watch it and hope that you

  
  


_ The letter ends abruptly. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments on chapter 4!

_ The letter is written in shaky letters, the ink bleeding together in places.  _

Tin-can,

Fuck you. I don’t know if that was your idea of a joke but it wasn’t funny. I know you’re bored in that shitty lookout station (don’t lie to me about it being a “nice change”) but you can’t entertain yourself by scaring me to death. Or maybe the code got corrupted and cut off the end of your message. I hope that’s what it was, for your sake. 

I’ve left Fort Wayne, finally. I’m writing this in the back of a convoy truck headed east. Remember how I told you I’ve been assigned a company? I was able to convince the corporal to let me bring Tony. The others are just a bunch of trigger happy idiots, so at least I’ll have someone I can trust. We’re being stationed at a base on the coast of Lake Erie - God knows why. After all the talk from the higher ups I thought we’d be heading for Detroit, but it seems like things have changed. I don’t know what they’re planning yet, but I’m supposed to meet with a Commander and that’s where I’ll find out what they’re up to. I think they trust me. I always was a good actor. 

The road is long and dangerous. Roadblocks and damage from air strikes during the beginning of the android rebellion have left the streets in shambles. I didn’t realize how desolate the world has become after being locked in at Fort Wayne for the past few months. We haven’t seen any civilians, not even refugees. I don’t know if I should feel scared, or relieved. A part of me is glad that innocent people won’t be around to witness this shit. The other part is scared they’ll never come back. Will the world as we knew it, then, ever return? 

Even though the snow is gone, it’s still cold as shit. These military issue jackets don’t do much to keep out the cold, but they’re better than nothing I guess. I wish I had a cigarette. Tina stayed behind at F.W. and I miss her already. I wish I could have told her the real reason I’m here. A part of me wonders if I’ll ever see her again. Even if I make it out of this alive, I can’t see her forgiving me for betraying the humans. She’s too loyal, too stubborn. God, I miss her.

I miss you. I hate writing these stupid fucking letters, only talking every few weeks. I want to hear your voice again and to know you’re okay. Fuck, I hope you’re okay. Even if it was a joke, that last message scares me. Would Markus really have killed your own people, just for running away? That isn’t like him. 

Answer me back as soon as you can. I need to hear from you. I can’t stomach the thought that you might be dead, or worse. 

Just write me back. Fucking asshole.

\- Dark Roast


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for the comments on the last chapter!

_The letter is written on small, yellowed pages stuffed inside a used cigarette pack. One single cigarette is left inside, long turned stale. Some words on the page are blacked out, the writer was clearly in distress._

Tin-can, 

Fuck you. Where the fuck are you? How could you just fucking disappear like this? I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. _(several lines are scribbled out.)_ I’m angry all the time. I haven’t heard from you in weeks and I’m starting to lose my fucking mind. I hate you. You’re so fucking reckless. I never should have agreed to split up. I should have been there. I should have protected you. Jesus fucking Christ.

The only thing keeping me here is knowing how pissed you’ll be if I leave. I can hear your stupid fucking voice in my head all the time. Everything in me wants to go find you but I can’t risk ruining everything we’ve worked for. I have to believe that you’re okay and just hiding out until you can write again. I swear to God if Markus doesn’t shoot you when you turn up again, I will.

If you’re reading this, if any androids are reading this, I have news. I’ve been stationed at a small base on the coast of Lake Erie near what’s left of Toledo. The city was destroyed by rebel androids. A week after I arrived at the base, our forces were sent on a mission to eliminate what was left of the rebels. 

It was the first time I’d seen a city that had been captured by the androids after the night of the revolution. The streets were covered in upturned and burned cars, the buildings ransacked and torn apart. I lost count of all the bullet holes I saw in the walls of homes and shops, a grim memory of the night of the rebellion. The civilians had been evacuated long ago and it seemed that all traces of humanity were gone. The city was dark and cold, electricity cut off at the beginning of winter. 

The rebel androids were holed up at the University. They had set up barricades and traps to keep out intruders. Two of our men were killed by a trapmine. We managed to break through the walls but nothing could have prepared us for their fighting strength.

They had guns, stolen from dead soldiers and supply trucks as we found out later, and slaughtered our first line of defense. I worked in the police force for 15 years and even that didn’t prepare me for this. Back then, I was always sure that the people I was fighting were criminals. Cruel, evil people who needed to be stopped. But now, watching the humans and androids fighting with equal hatred towards the other side, I never felt less sure. When I was an officer, I never felt truly afraid when I was faced with a violent criminal. I was always aware that I was going to do anything I could to protect innocent lives. But now, when I was crouched behind a crumbling wall in the middle of a war zone, I felt afraid. 

Although the androids fought as hard as they could, our forces were too strong. We rounded up as many as we could, though some were able to escape. Our Commander instructed us to shoot them all dead. I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger. I didn’t want to see the look on their faces when they realized all they’d fought for was for nothing. God, please forgive me. I had no choice.

Many of my comrades were wounded or killed. I watched one bleed to death on the stone floor, her body riddled with bullets. Another I listened to scream in agony as he begged for death. I know the humans are the enemy in our fight, but they didn’t deserve to die like that. No one does.

As we left the University, we found a single android cowering behind the rubble. He was afraid, nearly scared to death by the slaughter he’d witnessed. We would have killed him but then he said something. He told us that he had information about Markus and the location of the other rebel leaders - including you. I convinced the Commander to let us spare his life and bring him back to the base as a prisoner, and he reluctantly agreed. I’m sure he saw the desperation on my face, but I don’t care. If he asks, I’ll say I was too shocked by the fighting to think straight. 

We brought the prisoner back to the base. He was taken away to a part of the base where the rest of us aren’t allowed to go. I’ll try everything I can to speak with him. I don’t know if he’s even telling the truth, but I’ll try to find out soon. He said his name was John. 

This morning the commanders held a meeting. After what happened at the University everyone has been on edge, especially now that we have an android in the camp with us. Some want to head straight into Detroit and get revenge for our fallen comrades and the commanders agree. Although, we’ve been ordered to wait until reinforcements arrive to swell our ranks. 

Troops from nearby states are being transferred to our base and our numbers are going to be in the thousands by the end of the week. I’ll send word as soon as I can when I hear more. 

Please, write back to me. I can’t do this alone. I can’t fight against your people.

I love you.

\- Dark Roast

  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the wonderful and kind comments! I can't respond to all of them but they always make me smile and inspire me to keep writing (-:

_ The letter is written in encrypted script, some words are indecipherable and lost in the code. This transcript has been edited for clarity. _

Dark Roast,

I’m sorry. I never meant to frighten you. It wasn’t safe to write until now. 

Things are dark here. The androids I spoke of in my last letter attacked us. It wasn’t their fault - someone corrupted their code and programmed them to infiltrate our ranks. They killed my comrades with weapons they stole from a cache Markus supplied us with. I was [indecipherable] when they attacked and I didn’t have time to save them. I should have been quicker. I should have known this would happen.

I was able to escape in time, but I had to leave the bodies of my comrades behind. I’ve never felt pain like this before. Not even when I watched you leave for the army, because at least you were alive. I had to leave them behind, cold and bleeding, in that dark, lonely place. 

Since the humans jammed our network, I wasn’t able to send a warning to Markus. I ran as fast as I could, but the corrupted androids reached the island first. They were able to make it through the guards, pretending to be refugees, but [the next few lines are indecipherable]

He killed them. I begged him to spare their lives. It wasn’t their fault. He wouldn’t listen. I couldn’t do anything but watch as he ordered their execution. I felt [indecipherable]

Markus is growing more paranoid by the day. He doesn’t allow us to take in refugees anymore and he refuses to call in reinforcements. Our numbers are large but I fear that he won’t be strong enough to command us when the humans come. 

He blames me for the attack. He doesn’t want me to write to you anymore. I don’t know what to do. I can’t bear to turn away androids who come to us for safety. We send them back out into the streets where they’ll probably be killed by vigilante humans. Should I be loyal to Markus alone, or to all androids? This isn’t what I wanted. 

What you say about Toledo frightens me. The city isn’t one of our official bases, and John disappeared during one of the worst snowstorms of the winter. We thought he was a deserter, but it sounds like he joined a rogue group. Don’t harm him. He was always loyal to Markus, to our cause. Although I can’t understand why he would leave New Jericho. 

I’m afraid. I don’t know who to trust. I spend my time thinking of life before all of this. Was deviating worth all the death and destruction? Every day I find myself feeling less and less sure that what we’re doing is just.

I just hope I don’t meet you on the battlefield.

Tin-can


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments, again! I might take a break from this fic for a few days so I can work out what I want to happen next instead of writing more filler chapters! If you have any ideas for what you think could happen, let me know! I'd love to hear them! 
> 
> Content Warning: This chapter contains semi-graphic depictions of suicide

_ The letter is written on crumpled paper and one of the corners has been torn off, obstructing the last few lines. _

Tin-can,

Tony’s dead.

I woke up this morning with blood dripping on my forehead from the bunk above. He’d done it at some point during the night after I’d already fallen asleep. I tried everything I could to wake him up, but he was already gone. The look in his eyes will haunt me forever.

I didn’t cry, not even when they took him away. A part of me isn’t even surprised. I knew he was fucked up. I should have stayed awake longer. I should have known.

When they moved his body they found a note underneath the covers. It was written to his daughter. I couldn’t bring myself to read it, but I tucked it between the pages of my notebook. I don’t know why I didn’t just throw it away. I feel sick.

I haven’t heard from Tina since I left Fort Wayne. I wish I had told her the truth before I left. I wish I could have trusted Tony enough to tell him, too. Maybe it would have given him something to fight for. 

Our numbers are growing by the day. Troops are coming in from…

training with the new recruits, teaching them how to kill andr…

can’t sleep anymore. I’m afraid of what will happen wh…

worse than Fort Wayne. The people suck an…

tell Markus to man the fuck up...

never felt more alone...

miss you.

Dark


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments! The idea for the drone footage comes from Veilder who leaves the sweetest comments!

_ The following messages were found in a drone, destroyed by android forces. Most of the video files have been corrupted beyond repair and all of the audio has been lost. However, few clips were able to be salvaged from the machine’s hardware. _

_ The first clip is the drone flying over the southern outskirts of Detroit. The homes of what is left of Corktown, the oldest neighborhood in Detroit, have been mostly untouched by the fighting. As the drone flies north, towards downtown, the devastation from the night of the rebellion is clear. Homes and other buildings are either skeletons or reduced to nothing but rubble. Most are charred by the fires lit during riots and abandoned Android Recycling camps have been ransacked for extra parts and thirium. As the drone flies in between a section of high-rise buildings, the feed cuts out. _

_ The next clip of drone footage is the camera drifting through the streets of downtown Detroit. It is night, so the feed has switched to night-vision mode. Shop windows are broken and glass and debris litter the streets. Cars are torn apart and upturned in the streets. Here and there lie the bodies of androids and humans, killed the night of the rebellion. No living creatures are seen wandering the streets.  _

_ The drone travels several blocks before it begins to rain, obstructing the view further. It seems to be heading east towards the river. A strangely pristine truck is seen parked on the side of the road. It has cargo in the back, but the drone passes too quickly to make out the contents. As it approaches the river, Cyberlife Tower in the distance, the camera starts to shake uncontrollably. The screen is cracked and lights flash before the drone falls to the ground and cuts out. _

_ A code is found in the corrupted data of the ruined drone. It was originally thought to be a simple error in the computing software, but upon inspection the code is deciphered. However, the message this time is not a text file, but a video.  _

_ The video is taken in a small room with machinery in the background. It appears to be some kind of android repair facility, possibly from inside Cyberlife Tower. Sitting in the center of the screen is an android. _

“I’m risking everything by sending you this video. I can only hope that I was able to hide it in the data so well that only you could find it. If any others find this, I’m as good as dead.

I can’t talk long - things are tense here. Markus is getting everyone ready to prepare for battle. We found this drone flying near New Jericho but were able to shoot it down before it located our position. The humans are getting closer to discovering our location each day. I already suspect that they have sent agents into the city to spy on us, though our patrols have spotted no trace of human life inside our borders.

Dark Roast, I need you to do something for me. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t of utmost importance. 

Find the Lieutenant.” 

_ The android looks desperately at the camera and the feed ends. _


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the comments and kudos! And thanks to Veilder and Wickedbad for the ideas that helped me write this chapter (-:

_The letter is attached to a larger, folded and crumpled document._

Tin-can,

I found something, I think. I was talking to a few people on base, casual, you know? Eventually one of the recruits recalled seeing this in the press. It’s all I could find on the Lieutenant, I’m sorry. I’ll keep trying.

I tried to see if I could interrogate the prisoner, John, but no luck. The Commander told me I’m just a soldier and that I should focus on killing as many androids as my company comes across. I told him I used to be a seasoned detective and told him where to shove it. I think I might have been too outspoken because they’re keeping a closer eye on me now. I have to write these letters in the dark so the night patrol guards don’t think I’m up to something. I’ll have to be more careful. 

Today I sent my company out on patrol without me. I needed some time to think. I went down to the lakeshore for the first time since I arrived at the base. The beach was bare and gray but I liked the sound of the waves. The water looked clearer than I’d ever seen before, probably because all the humans stopped coming when the rebellion broke out. I hadn’t been down to the water since I was a kid and my parents were still together.

I remember collecting stones that the water washed onto the shore and storing them inside of a shitty metal pail that was a hand-me-down from my brother. My father helped me carry it because it was too heavy for me and when I got home we pasted them onto a sheet of circular plywood that we hung on the wall in my bedroom. It got lost in one of our many moves around the state but my parents always promised we’d go back and collect more stones for a new one. Then they split up and we never went again. Fuck, I miss those days.

I wish I could go back. Back then, all I had to worry about was getting good grades in school. Now I have to worry about the fucking war between humans and androids that none of us asked for. I know life was hell for the androids but I wish this hadn’t been the answer. So many lives have been lost and for what? Fuck, sorry. I know I’m the lucky one here. I shouldn’t be talking like this.

I sat by the water and just watched it for hours. I got sand in my boots but fuck it, it was worth it. It was the first time I’d actually felt relaxed in months. Without worrying about appearances and shooting innocent people and feeling terrified for you. For a while, I felt good. The sky was overcast and the water was gray but it was the best thing I’d seen in years. It was a part of this god forsaken world that was unaltered by this war. 

I hope you find a moment of peace in your day. I hope Markus hasn’t made things too much worse for you. Fuck, things are getting bad. 

A day doesn’t go by where I don’t think of you. I miss you.

Dark Roast

_Attached to the letter is a piece of paper, the text in bold letters. At the top is a government logo, showing an eagle with its wings spread wide. The following text is printed below._

PRESS RELEASE 

WANTED PERSON 

RE: HANK ANDERSON 

The United States Government and Federal Bureau of Investigation hereby wishes to inform the general public that the above printed person whose picture appears on the next page has been declared wanted.

This is the result of their involvement in aiding the heretical android rebellion, assaulting a Federal Officer, unlawful avoidance of adhering to civilian evacuation protocols, and suspected acquaintanceship with rebel android insurrection leaders. Current affiliation(s) and location are unknown. 

Hank Anderson (previously holding the position of Lieutenant at the Detroit City Police Department) is 53 years of age and a former resident of Detroit, Michigan. They were last seen at the Uptown Detroit City Police Precinct before fleeing for assaulting a Federal Officer.

They remain wanted until arrested. Any person(s) with any useful information regarding the whereabouts of Hank Anderson is requested to report to the national Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, the nearest functioning Police Station, or active military base. 

Case No: 38931715

_On the back of the paper is an image of the wanted person. He is heavy set with long, gray hair and a beard. His police badge and number is in the lower right hand corner. Below is a signature from the executive officer at the FBI._

  
  



End file.
